Tracy Droz Tragos's Documentary Shows What Women Think About Abortion

Right now, access to abortion is "restricted" in some way or other in every state in the U.S. In 2016 alone, 14 states passed laws making abortions harder to get, which has resulted in clinics closing and women being forced to drive up to a hundred miles, sometimes more, just to get a safe, legal abortion. According to NARAL Pro-Choice America, Missouri earned an F grade in its protection of reproductive rights. The state enforces a 72-hour waiting period between the time women seek and actually get an abortion. On top of that, health plans public and private limit coverage of abortion, and restrict abortions after fetal viability only if the woman's life is in danger or her health is seriously threatened.

In her film, Abortion: Stories Women Tell, director Tracy Droz Tragos explores the culture and the context surrounding those restrictions. Through interviews with women of all ages and backgrounds who have had abortions for a variety of reasons, and interviews with women who are morally opposed to and openly protest abortion, and many others along the way, Tracy's film takes a look not at the political debate surrounding abortion, but at the people whose stories we're debating. The goal, Tracy told Teen Vogue, is to show that behind all the rhetoric and anger lie actual people, making decisions for valid reasons.

Abortion: Stories Women Tell premieres April 3 on HBO. Ahead of its release, we spoke to Tracy about her film and its place in the ongoing national debate about a woman's right to choose.

Teen Vogue: Why did you only interview women for this film?

Tracy Droz Tragos: Because we don’t hear enough from women. Really this is an issue that affects women first. This was a film that we very, very intentionally wanted to hear from women. We heard from a few men, but it was all by invitation of the women in their lives. There can be films where other voices are heard, but this was a film where we specifically wanted to hear from women who were affected. Not politicians, not people who had their talking points honed. But from women directly who were facing choices.

TV: What's the significance of the title?

TDT: This is about women’s stories. Every story is different. Every woman walks in her own path, has her own history, the circumstances she faces. It's hard to say she should do one thing or another. Unless you’ve walked in her shoes it's hard to tell her what to do. We wanted to put the word "abortion" in there because this is what the film centers around, this choice. Abortion is something still often spoken about in whispers. Part of putting it right out there was to reclaim it in a way.

TV: Women in the film provided a range of reasons for having abortions. What's the message of including so many women with different reasons?

TDT: It’s a reality. Women are going to face all kinds of different circumstances. We’re complicated beings. I think there are no good abortions and bad abortions. Sometimes there's a tendency to say, "It's OK to have an abortion if you're facing these kinds of circumstances." But the idea was to hear as many stories as we could so it would be harder to dismiss. If we could hear from a lot of different women, of different ages, different places in their life, it would make clear it's not just someone else. Maybe some thread will say to audiences, "She’s like me. I see my mother, I see my daughter, I see my best friend." There’s a little more of a coming together.

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TV: You also spoke to a lot of women who oppose abortion who explained their reasons. What message does that send?

TDT: We didn’t want this to be a film that lived in an echo chamber and was ultimately seen, and potentially dismissed, as an advocacy piece. Maybe that film already has been made. I think a lot of people tune out when they feel they're going to be moralized to. So it was important to hear from women who had different reactions, different feelings, different backgrounds. That’s why it was important to include women at one end of the spectrum, who are still in many ways decent people. I didn’t want to demonize anybody. I wanted to hear from them and hear where they were coming from. It was important their voices be heard in the film too. We can't pretend that those women don’t exist. For me the most important thing was to elevate the personal decision making outside of politics and everything else.

TV: Why did you base the film in Missouri?

TDT: It's where I come from. But beyond that initial personal connection to it…it is one of the most restrictive states in the country [for abortion]. Some people say it’s the buckle of the Bible Belt. Maybe it's not. But it is a place where there's very much a Christian influence that affects women not just from a legislative standpoint but from a cultural standpoint. [It's] ever-present — billboards, rhetoric, and stuff like that. It's harder, ultimately, for women there to access care. And there isn’t a lot of coverage for Missouri. It’s like many states that are overlooked where a lot of laws are being passed.

TV: Do you think the experiences of women there reflect the experiences of women across the country?

TDT: Absolutely. I've heard from audiences who see the film, who see themselves or see their friends or daughters. I've heard from people in California, which gets a much higher grade in terms of access to reproductive care, that clinics are closing there too and it's hard for women to access the care. Particularly for low-income women, when transportation [to the clinic] is difficult. These are issues that will resonate no matter where women are from.

TV: You mention the film is a snapshot of current events. What do you think this snapshot says about the debate surrounding abortion happening now?

TDT: [The film is] the context for the debate. We see it in the rhetoric that is used and that, in Missouri, they want to make it abortion-free. That’s a rallying cry for one group of activists. I think it deserves to be heard. That really is the intention — that, even though it is legal, there won't be a way to access care. But the film itself, I hope, we don’t linger too long in the debate. [Maybe] the people who are engaged in the debate will look at this film and ease up a little bit and have a little compassion. Understand that people on the other side are not so different from them.

TV: What happens when women can’t get access to abortion?

TDT: What does that look like? They have babies or they try to take matters into their own hands. We certainly know what that looks like on both sides. It was very sobering for me to see what that looked like for one story in the film. The woman who spoke about not being able to get the basketball scholarship she was ready to take (a young woman had accepted a basketball scholarship to college, but declined it after she got pregnant). Living on public assistance, probably with some measure of postpartum depression, wondering what her life was going to look like now. It's not pretty when babies are not wanted. It’s a reality that we all have to think about and look at. It's pretty devastating.